A Comparison of the Federalists and the Republicans

A Comparison of the Federalists and the Republicans

Federalism a central feature of the American political system has long

been an important issue. The nature of federalism has been shaped

through the years by debates between prominent statesmen, laws, and

Supreme Court decisions. When the colonies declared their independence

from the Britain in 1776, they reacted against the British unitary

system in which all political and economic power was concentrated in

London. A major source of friction between the colonies and the mother

country was the British attempt to reclaim powers previously granted

to the colonial governments. During the American Revolution, the

states reacted to Britain unitary system by creating the Articles of

Confederation that gave virtually all powers to the states.

Anti-federalists were persons who opposed the ratification of the U.S.

Constitution in 1787-1788. They conceded that the central government

needed more power than it had under the Articles of Confederation, but

they argued that the Framers of the Constitution had gone to o far,

and, deeply suspicious of political power, feared that the centralized

government proposed by the Framers would lead to a new kind of

tyranny.

The conflict that took shape in the 1790’s between the Federalists and

Anti-federalist exercised a profound impact on American history. The

Federalist, led by Alexander Hamilton, who had married into the

wealthy Schuyler family, represented the urban mercantile interests of

the seaports; the Anti-federalists, led by Thomas Jefferson, spoke for

the rural and southern interests. The debate between the two concerned

the power of the central government versus that of the states, with

the Federalists favoring the former and the Anti-federalists

advocating states’ rights. Hamilton sought strong central government

acting in the interests of commerce and industry. He brought to public

life a love of efficiency, order and organization.

Few Americans believe that the federalists system should be abandoned,

but the nature of federalism is still a controversy today, and